Dr. Thomas Arentzen: In between Metaphors: Marian Imagery in Romanos the Melodist

Romanos is one of our richest sources for understanding the evolving cult of the Virgin Mary in the sixth century. In his long semi-liturgical songs Mary takes center stage, and Romanos develops abounding poetic imagery in order to presenter her vividly before the Constantinopolitan crowds. I will explore how he weaves her into his patterns of images and how she comes to share metaphors with her Son.

Ph.D., Uffe Holmsgaard Eriksen: The Homiletics of Romanos the Melodist. Scripture, exegesis, and application in the kontakion"On the Ten Virgins"(SC31/047)

The kontakia (hymns) of the 6^th century Byzantine poet, Romanos the Melodist, are often referred to as “sung sermons”. The classification of the kontakia as sermons has been based on the assumption that a lesson from the Gospels was read out aloud before the kontakion was sung. Some scholars even claim that it took the place of a prose homily in the 6^th century liturgy. Although this assumption has been criticized in recent year, I will nevertheless focus on instances where Romanos speaks less as a poet and more as a preacher. In the paper, I outline the “sermonic” dimension in his hymns and analyze his “homiletics”, i.e. the way in which he interprets and directly comments on scriptural passages.